Raw Story's headline: "GOP talking points encourage using Lieberman to attack Democrats on war." I think it's a bit redundant of Boehner to think Republicans need to be reminded of this, they do it quite axiomatically so I can only imagine this is being done to rub it in the noses of all the Democrats who helped Holy Joe get elected. As Atrios said recently, we tried to warn them….
BooMan says that Ari Fleischer may have committed perjury. While Fleischer is no stranger to big-scale lies, this one doesn't make any sense to me — why would he blow an immunity deal over something so inconsequential? John Dickerson is telling a different, quite breathless story. But Dickerson has been frantic to call attention to himself during the entire investigation and damn near cried when Fitzgerald wouldn't give him a subpoena, so it's nice that after getting kicked to the curb by Time and toiling in the Slate ghetto for so long he's finally lifting himself out of obscurity by sitting in the courtroom and getting the attention he craves. Far be it from me to defend Ari Fleischer, but Dickerson is no stranger to having abject lies printed under his byline without protest, so I think I'll withhold judgment on this one for the time being.
What the hell is wrong with Florida?
Howie Klein weighs in on Chuck Hagel, who may be positioning himself slightly to the left of Bob Fertik on the war but is also, as Howie reminds us, "a far right Republican who has rubber stamped virtually every stinking turd the Bush Regime has sent careening down the pike." Food for thought for anyone thinking of lifting the pom-poms for Hagel.
This is quite possibly the stupidest article of the week. Hillary Clinton is quaking in her boots because Andrew Sullivan thinks she has cooties? Somehow I don't think so. TBogg sums the situation up quite nicely: "Color me skeptical, but I'm not sure that Mickey Kaus can break a twenty, much less Hillary Clinton."
Maxine Waters and other leaders of the Out of Iraq Caucus will be heading to early Democratic primary states to put the screws to Presidential candidates with regard to Iraq, to find out "who is nuancing and who is tip-toeing." When the heavy lifting needs doing, somehow Maxine Waters is always there and willing to do it.
Mark Schmitt reviews Chuck Schumer's passionate commitment to "half-way-ism." Money quote? "I don't know what a 'Schumer Box' is or how it reduces porn, and I'm not sure I want to know."
Russ Feingold chairs a Committee Hearing today designed to demonstrate that Congress does, in fact, have the authority to compel the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, something the Republicans had no problem asserting during the Clinton administration. Glenn Greenwald takes us for a trip on the Double Talk Express and brings us John McCain: Then & Now. It is, as one would imagine, full of stirring moments of political hackery and hypocrisy, basically what we've come to expect from He Who Shall Not Be Challenged By the Media.
Mercury Rising has a new home. So does Steve Gilliard. Check your bookmarks. (BTW, Steve and Tom Schaller think Big Time is el-bye bye, and Atrios says no. Discuss among yourselves.)
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FDL!
my contempt for Joe Lieberman has grown so vast that it easily encompasses John McCain as well.
private thread?
I was wondering when you guys were going to say something about that post at Booman.
I’m 100% in agreement with you.
I am so tired of the Hillary ‘evil man’ joke. Who the hell gives a s’t?
Jane!
I do NOT blame the Republicans for the mess this country finds itself in. I blame my (Dem.) party.
Russ Feingold inspires hope.
Hiya Jane
I like the ditch Cheney suggestion..It’s not only a freebee- it will pay big political dividends. Cheney resigns and moderate goopers will assume Clusterfuck forced it and is gaining sanity- and radical goopers will figure that Cheney’s had enough of bein kicked around by the liberal media..
Young Hal dumps Falstaff!!
Classic- don’t know if it will happen- but good drama.
On Iraq. It’s Feingold, Gore, Kucinich, Murtha and other Demos. And yes… Hagel.
Step two: You put your Schumer in a box…
what I wouldn’t give for 100 Russ Feingolds…
Poor JudyJudyJudy. I’m dying to know the backstory here. She says she went to the grand jury and didn’t remember a damn thing. Then she goes to her office, magically finds her old notes, calls up her lawyer, and says, “Oh, THAT CIA agent.” Then she goes BACK and gives a detailed account of her (damning) interactions with Libby.
Nobody’s buying it, girl. You lied through your teeth the first time, and Fitz nailed you for it.
What I still don’t get is this: How did Fitz do it? Judy wasn’t talking, and I don’t think Scooter blabbed to someone else about leaking to her, so how did Fitz know to go after her? And how did he get her to ‘fess up between GJ appearance #1 and GJ appearance #2?
Did they string up ol Scooter yet?
Sorry we’re running a bit slow. At 20,000 hits an hour our servers have never been hit this hard, so thanks to Jamie and John who are keeping us up and humming.
Jane!
Why in the f’k did Judy spend all that time in jail. I don’t have a clue.
Hillary Clinton is quaking in her boots because Andrew Sullivan thinks she has cooties?
I hear it’s Judy Miller that has scooties
WAG about Cheney.
If Poppy Bush wants to save his son’s legacy and his fmaily’s hope of every holding the reins of power in government again (at least openly) I think they have to get rid of Cheney.
If Cheney wants to hold on to power he is going to have to get rid of Bush (and all of Poppy’s minions).
Who will win? I don’t know, but the two sides certainly seem to be working at cross purposes and to differnt ends.
Jane, this is a little showbizzy, but the Plame case is starting to remind me in some ways of the Indecent Exposure scandal at Columbia in the early 80s. Joe Wilson is the wildly charismatic Cliff Robertson type character who blows the thing open, but then it turns out to be so much bigger than him. And let’s hope Begelman is Bush.
Jane Hamsher @
15
this traffic graphic tells the tale. impressive!
Here’s the deal: Iraq, Iran, Israel-Palestine.
kristinejoy @
11
Todays best laugh!
What the hell is wrong with Florida?
The same thing that’s wrong with a lot of other places.
What’s that? Well, here’s a clue: nice, decent people don’t take jobs as prison guards.
Hallo Jane! i (think i) know why you’re trying send the discussion back to the real world, but what just transpired (not counting Frau Miller’s lack of ability to breathe, as chroniblogged by Marcy) on FDL was awesome.
So… Jane, you rock! FDL roars! And perfessers will be analyzing this for years.
I respect Amb.Joe and Valerie Wilson so much more than i despise…
Ahh, i can’t believe what an Ellsburgian gift they have given the nation.
Jane Hamsher @ 14
Hooray for FDL! Thank you, Jane, and everyone involved. Your coverage is excellent.
punaise @ 2
Really funny!
What would the political lanscape look like on Wednesday, if Gore announced he was running tomorrow?
Jane: “Steve and Tom Schaller think Big Time is el-bye bye, and Atrios says no. Discuss among yourselves.”
Hmm.
I suspect that Cheney will be eased out, possibly forced out by scandal, at some point in the next two years. If only because no useful action can be taken against Cluster Fuckwit until Cheney is gone, much as Agnew had to be forced out before going after Nixon.
But I wouldn’t place any large bets on it yet. Small bets, maybe. I don’t imagine Dick would be making as many TV and interview appearances as he has lately, if his departure were imminent.
Loved this oldie-goldie McCain quote you linked Jane:
…..And if we do not do that and other Americans die, other Americans are wounded, other Americans are captured because we stay too long–longer than necessary–then I would say that the responsibilities for that lie with the Congress of the United States who did not exercise their authority under the Constitution of the United States and mandate that they be brought home quickly and safely as possible. . . .
http://glenngreenwald.blogspot…..owers.html
Oklahoma kiddo @ 27
Better!
my 50 cent bet is Cheney is gone in 25 days…
no particular reason – just a confluence of the scooter trial and other crap…
Oklahoma kiddo @ 28
Oh, if only! I think he will run, but there’s no way he’ll announce before the Oscars. I just joined up with a group here in Michigan working on a draft Gore campaign. Stay tuned…I don’t know how long he’ll wait, but I do think he’ll jump in.
Jane Hamsher @
15
Time to pony-up… See PayPal link top-right!
neil @ 27
yeah, those two knuckleheads are such a laugh that they’ll be forming the Spew-nity ‘08 ticket.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 28
I think that Gore will run. It won’t hurt Gore to bide his time and let Hillary and the others spin their wheels and spend their money. Gore will keep his money in a lockbox til its time to use it.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 17
For protection. From her daddy.
I was wondering when you guys were going to say something about that post at Booman.
I think Ari was lying — but about Dickinson and Gregory, he is probably misremembering.
What Ari is lying about is why he decided to lawyer up…. his story is basically that he didn’t know there was any controversy over Novak’s outing of Valerie on July 14th….and was “horrified” to think that he might have contributed to the outing of a covert agent when he read the 1×2×6 article on September 28th.
Sorry, THAT is simply not credible — unless Ari spent two and a half months under a rock. IMHO, Ari lawyered up because he realized that the “cover-up” of Plame’s outing wasn’t going to hold — and as someone who was no longer working in the White House, and as the former “press secretary”, he would make the perfect scapegoat.
newtonusr @ 23
Britney Spears showed her Schumer to the world, but my Schumer is just for you!
(With apologies, I like Schumer, but I couldn’t resist!)
“…who is nuancing and who is tip-toeing.” Oh Hillary…
Maxine Waters. ;)
Oklahoma kiddo @
7
Point well taken. Btw, so does Pat Buchanan on Hardball. Then I saw and heard something I never thought I’d see: Reverend Sharpton agreed with him. Said he was loathe to agree, but Democrats in Congress need to stand up. It was all about the legislative branch being the first branch of government, and how their letting the executive branch run all over them. Buchanan says instead of asking the Prez to cite his constitutional right to be the decider, and asking him what he sees the Congress’ role as, they should take back their position in government. I think so too!
p.lukasiak @
38
I would say this is probably the case on one side or the other. Don’t really think there’s much nefarious going on. And as to why he lawyered up — your analysis sounds about right.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 40
Oh Hillaryyyyyy??
Busted by Mad Maxine
Judy wasn’t talking, and I don’t think Scooter blabbed to someone else about leaking to her, so how did Fitz know to go after her?
Judy showed up in Scooters appointment book…and scooter told the grand jury that he’d told Judy about Valerie….. but claimed that he said only that he’d heard it from other reporters.
Bush and Cheney–it’s like the two brothers in the story from “My Antonia.” When the wolves get close enough to the sleigh, the brothers pitch the bride and bridegroom out. But would one pitch the other out? Only Bush could. If it gets bad enough, he’ll push Cheney out to save his presidency (avoid impeachment). Any successor has to be confirmed by the Senate–maybe the whole Congress. That lets Condi out, I suppose.
Frank Probst @
13
could it be “the google”?
see also: Rendon Group CEO John Rendon
Andrew Sullivan does teh gays no good with that cootie stuff. And juvenile Fineman repeated it!
I’m on board with “bye-bye-BigTime.” His recent teevee appearances may be an attempt to stave off the push from Poppy’s team. Building cred with the base or some nonsense. One thing we’ve learned thanks to Fitz — this White House isn’t the monolithic message machine it appears; there are factions within factions. I’m still entranced with Scooter asking Addington about CIA agents in the little tiny WH office, then shushing him.
My bet: 3/4/07, BigTime out
But alas, Schumer wants there to be 50% less Schumer in the box. Go fig.
McCain Vs McCain is the fun new video up at Greenwald/Schecter’s new anti mccain blog. It’s a good thing.
I think Cheney will die before January 2009. Morbid, but he is already way past the sell by date with his heart condition.
what a day! having lived through Nixon and Watergate, waiting on the morning paper to find out what was happening every day, this was just an amazing experience here at FDL. can’t thank you enough Marcy. can hardly wait to hear what Pach and JM have to say tonight.
litigatormom @ 39
the mon’s veneer is thin.
congrats go out to the fdler’s, whose libby trial blogging got linked to, (via the word “colorful” in “colorful insight from bloggers”) on cnn’s situation room blog, under the category “libby trial online.”
also, another link on the word “suit” in “patrick fitzgerald’s suit.”
as seen on skippy!
.
.
Jane Hamsher @ 42
I love it when Jane agrees with me! :)
Jane-
You are having way too good a time with this post. Don’t even think of getting too analytical this week. We have Jeralyn and Redd and Marcy and Pach and TRex and Swopa and Peterr and LHP and …
So you keep up this hummingbird-like blogging. You get us up out of our Plamegate obsession to see how the whole world looks.
Fabulous post. Fabulous graphic.
what does it say about the state of this country when two pretty extreme opponents, Pat Buchanan and Al Sharpton agree?
I’m thinking that there isn’t any way Cheney is going to leave voluntarily. He would have to be forced out at gunpoint. To do anything less would be a complete repudiation of everything he stands for, which is complete and total machoism and control over his entire domain. I am not even sure he would quit if Bush asked him to leave. Of course, if Bush went public and said he asked Cheney to resign, then he would have no choice.
I dunno. I just don’t see it, given Cheney’s behavior in the past three years.
ps
Mimikatz @ 45
i thought i was the only one unlucky enough to be forced to read willa cather in school!!
I refuse to agree or trust Pat Buchanon since he scored so high on that butterfly ballot.
p.lukasiak @ 38
Why did he leave the White House, and why at that time? If this has been covered, I’ve forgotten it long ago.
p.lukasiak @ 52
As Siun would say: “nodding…”
I am enjoying a fine 2006 vintage of $2 buck chuck Shiraz in honor of today’s festivities.
Judy Miller isn’t worth splashing out any more cash.
punaise @
21
150,000 visitors a day? A couple of football stadiums passing through the e-turnstiles? That’s a lot of folks, to be sure, but not enough for a nation of 150 million literate, voting-age citizens. (No slight intended, just counting heads.)
What I’m really hoping is this trial will lead to summertime, soap-interrupting, Watergate-style hearings, one that would bring in a million eyes/day. The FDL effort is sewing that seed. Color me optimistic.
Can you imagine all the better reporters Judy fucked over are feeling today?
tiredfed: “what does it say about the state of this country when two pretty extreme opponents, Pat Buchanan and Al Sharpton agree?”
That Cluster Fuckwit really is a uniter?
Phoenix Air America promo on Hagel… Quite good
Republican Do Good
Here is the MP3 for Marcy’s & Jane’s interview on Action Point on Sunday
Action Point – Marcy Wheeler
Big Time is not going anywhere. It’s something the media like to speculate about b/c it is “controversial” and makes a “good” story.
Jane, so good to have you baaaaaack!!
“(BTW, Steve and Tom Schaller think Big Time is el-bye bye, and Atrios says no. Discuss among yourselves.) “
Discussing among aspects of my split personality, they say either
a) Big Time is degrading rapidly in place, let him do so, and don’t wish for a replacement. He is doing great damage to the whole neo-con enterprise and better to have him fresh in the minds of 2008 voters. OR
b) if Fitz or some brave Congressional Committee wants to bring Big Time down, then a lot of others in the neo-con Reichstag will be exposed and many of the Rethug candidates for 2008 will be marred in the process.
Both good outcomes, so relax and enjoy!
Hope you are, Jane.
Tweety is still in Beauty Contest mode, but wasn’t he always? Dear me.
I predict that liveblogging will become THE way that non-televised trials are covered from now on….. all the cable news networks are going to be hiring their own court reporters to provide real time transcripts of big cases…
Whenever Darth hits the road, we need to ferret out all the fucking cronies he’s been stuffing our Government with.
They can follow him back to hell.
Long time ago, when the whole thing broke with Judy Miller I googled her name. Somewhere in my reading (no journalist am I) I remember reading that she has a long standing friendship with the Bush family. I can’t find the source of this and have gone back and can’t find it. Has anyone else uncovered anything similar?? She has been very protective of some other source since the beginning…I know that would be a long shot, but it would explain her passion for the whole Iraq war.
“When in court black is best, the judge will be impressed.”
OT-
Punaise, if you’re here I found another musician I wanted to turn you on to.
Donovan Frankenreiter
http://www.donavonf.com/
http://www.archive.org/search……21;Donavon Frankenreiter Band”
i’m back in the states. began travel 1.5 days ago. dear God i hope its worth it.
hey have you guys saved the nation while i was gone?
Watertiger has a BigTime Birthday Poem…
Jane Hamsher @
15
Yay, Jamie and John!
Yay, Intrepid Mods!
YAY JANE!!!
Look what you went and done. It’s just grand.
welcome home, egregious!
and yes, I’m SURE it was worth it…
Re: rape victim denied Plan B pill in Tampa
The police departments in Tampa and St Petersburg are run by Bull Connor types who think force and intimidation are the primary tools to be used in resolving any type of issue. The health care in our jails is run by private companies, one of Jeb’s tricks to turn state government over to private enterprise. The horror stories coming out of the jails and prisons are too numerous to list and more people have suffered at the hands of these ideologues than I like to think about. In St Petersburg two homeless men are murdered and two days later the Chief of Police, Chuck Harmon, and one of his aides devised a plan to cut up tents set up by the homeless after their original tent city was vacated under mayor Rick Baker’s orders. The murders occurred two days after the the disbanding of the original tent city on St Vincent De Paul’s property. St Vincent’s caved to the heat. Both Tampa and St Petersburg are controlled by the monied interests in town and the rest of us are just fodder for their machines. We of St Pete For Peace and Food Not Bombs are working to change the climate here but it’s definitely an uphill battle. The obsession with the dollar almighty is a strong force to reckon with. Following the courageous behaviour of White Rose, we will not be silent.
Never give up.
egregious @ 71
Glad to see you made it back O.K.! Did your luggage make it with you?
Jane, its so good to have you back. hope you are feeling ok. we missed you lots.
when are you coming to dc?
Fineline @ 66
snipped for brevity
brava/o!
but hoping to celebrate something substantial happening by 3/17
I intend to kick Republican and some Demo butt in the ‘08 run-up. For some of the same, and different reasons.
Crack that egg, Fitz.
egregious @ 73
Hi egregious!
Marcy is doing her damndest!
TeddySanFran @ 74
happy f-in birthday!
Love,
Scooter et. al.
zeppo @ 77
this time it did. going over there, intercepted by someone who destroyed about $1,000 worth of humanitarian supplies for THEIR childrens hospital. normally i would say there followed a long stream of unegregious-like curses but im just too tired :)
Jane Hamsher @
42
FWIW, Newsweek had an article in July ‘05 that echoed Dickerson — i.e., in Africa, Ari/Bartlett hinted strongly that reporters should look into who sent Wilson but didn’t mention his wife.
I’ll also add that I don’t get the vituperation being aimed at Dickerson. The Time article that Media Matters criticizes was entitled “Leaking with a Vengeance,” flatly states that Bushite officials leaked Plame’s identity, and includes these passages:
If that’s our new standard for abject servility towards Bush, then hell, let’s throw a party, ’cause the Wurlitzer must be fully dismantled.
good grief i go on one tiny little trip yesterday/today and miss both addington and judyjudyjudy?
keep up the good work guys.
tomorrow i catch up on my sleep, resume healthy eating habits :o and regain the capacity to use capital letters. since i live in the capital.
Could anybody else picture Gilda Radner still alive, portraying Baba Wawa asking Judy what kind of tree she would like to be?
Aspen of course.
Anyways, I am getting to that point where I think deadeye dick might just resign for “health reasons” in the next month or two.
If I was of age during the U.S. Cavalry siege on “the people” (Natives), I would have been called a terrorist for trying to throw the occupiers and murderers of our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, grand-folks and cousins, and others off our land. I would have fought the invaders with everything I had at my disposal.
p.lukasiak @ 44
There’s got to be more to it than that. Otherwise, she would have gotten away with the “I don’t remember anything” routine. And if memory serves, Fitz didn’t let her off the hook for her contempt charge until after the second round of testimony. Perhaps someone prompted her to look at that bagful of notebooks that just happened to by lying under her desk? I don’t know. But I DO know that the story right now makes no sense at all. Fitz had her totally boxed in. I just can’t figure out how he did it.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 90
OK Kiddo—
What shall we do with all these illegal immigrants? The ones who started coming over in the 1600’s?
Wo, sitemeter says 15,000 people on in the last hour…
This was a pretty good article….
Smears for Fears
Wes Clark just got caught up in the rigged rules for discussing Israel-related issues in America.
By Matthew Yglesias
http://www.prospect.org/web/pa…..leId=12394
OT but a question for Jane (and others). Sunday (maybe) after the DC protest, you ran a provocative post (by you) questioning the relevance of such social demonstrations. It hit me like cold water. I wasn’t too happy with it, but it made me think. So here is my question, if there had been demonstrations in CT by students and others against the war during the campaign, do you think it would have helped Lamont get over the top? I think it might have, by putting in play the idea that there were different POV.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 17
So she could get attentiona and write a book.
Can someone tell me what the hell is going on with David Gregory? His job was–and still is–to report on what the White House is saying. The former White House spokeman has just testified that he told David Gregory about Valerie Plame WHILE HE WAS THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY. Seeing as how it’s his job and all, shouldn’t David Gregory tell us his version of that conversation?
Why doesn’t anyone ask David Gregory from NBC what he heard…the guy is getting away with murder, much like Russert.
I think David Gregory is one of the good guys. If you work in the press in DC you cannot print everything you know or else you will be fired. Give him a chance to explain himself in time.
egregious @ 91
‘Grege, it was 1492. This link courtesy Eureka Springs.
What a fantastic palate cleanser! Thank you, Jane, and now, greedily waiting for dessert!
tiredfed >
It suggests that “We the people…” are getting closer to some real change. It could be the start of a real consensus for no more “business as usual”.
But we shall see…
“All successful revolutions are the kicking in of a rotten door.” – John Kenneth Galbraith
HotFlash re 1492 v 1600’s—I don’t care about the occasional visitor, just the ones who stayed and took our land away.
Dod/NSA: this is an intellectual argument. I am not interested in any action to reverse the history of this country over the last 400 years. Thank you.
egregious @ 101
Did yuo see their nice Tshirts? I’m only elegible for the one that says, “I’m part white but I can’t prove it.”
p.lukasiak @ 38
I agree with this.
Jumping ahead to say that the Libby/Ari letter is up at the AP exhibit site as defense exhibit 1647
It reads:
Why does anyone believe John Dickerson?
There’s got to be more to it than that. Otherwise, she would have gotten away with the “I don’t remember anything” routine.
Fitz didn’t just supoena her, he supoenaed her notes — and Judy “forgot” as much as she could, but there was still too much for her to account for in the notes themselves for her to get away with forgetting everything….
Fitz doesn’t really care if Wells impeaches her credibility about her testimony — what is important to Fitz isn’t what Judy says, but what appears in her notes — especially the notes for July 8th. And the only way he can get those notes placed in evidence at trial is to put her on the stand….
I think the problem is that Gregory didn’t actually HEAR Ari.
egregious @ 92
I am here speaking of the so called militants and extremists in Iraq, or for that matter Gaza or anywhere else who don’t like being occupied by a foreign power.
As to people who come here to perhaps escape poverty in their homeland, a good start might be for the U.S. and other wannabe colonists to stop supporting corporate sweat shops in say Mexico, quit ripping off natural resources, and cease supporting corrupt governments like those found in say Egypt and Mexico. And radically raise third world standards of living. Glad to have you with us again. It got kinda lonely, Cherokee Rose. ;0)
@104: Libby has the literary style of a bad romance novelist, doesn’t he? If that exhibit were in colour, my guess is that you’d see he was using purple ink for his purple prose.
egregious @ 98
Gregory was, you may recall, the person who gave Scotty the hardest time about his “can’t comment on an ongoing investigation” mantra (pointing out that by exonerating Rove, Scotty HAD ALREADY commented). I guess it was more than instinct that made ask that question so many times.
The thing is, unless Ari told Gregory that his mention of Plame was off the record, why wouldn’t Gregory have mentioned it? Unless Gregory knew from Ari’s description that Plame might be covert… Or Gregory didn’t want to be part of discrediting Wilson.
Who knows. I like Gregory, but I certainly would like to hear his version of things. Perhaps he feels he can’t comment until after the trial…..
I heard Nina Totenberg reporting on the trial today. It seemed to me that she repeated the line that Joe Wilson had said Cheney sent him to Niger (as far as I know he did not say this) and then said that Miller testified that Libby had told her that Valerie Plame worked for the Counter Proliferation Bureau (the ops/ secret side). In fact, Miller said it was WINPAC (the analytic side).
Via TPM, Obama introduces measure for withdrawal of all troops from Iraq by March 2008. Binding measure, mandates starting troop withdrawal starting in May 2007. I’ve not generally been a huge Obama fan, but I like it. I’ve been getting tired of so many getting snookered by Bush’s attempt to change the game from “get out or not” to “increase troops or not.” The fact that Bush wants to ignore the will of the people and send more troops does not mean that’s a position anyone has to compromise with.
Perhaps David Gregory knows that if he says what he heard, he’ll lose his job in the White House press corps. Note how silent Timmeh’s been — clearly the NBC lawyers are keeping everybody muzzled, as are their own lawyers.
Hugh @ 112
Perhaps an FDL agent needs to sidle up to Nina and give her a dose of actuality/reality/truth?
I think the issue at NBC is that they don’t want to be in ‘the story’ so they decided not to comment at all cost. Maybe they think it will go away. It is old school journalism at its worst. This is NBC group think: We cover the news–we aren’t supposed to be the news-so just deny deny deny and ignore the obvious and hope it goes away.
egregious @ 98
Froomkin has said several times that Gregory is like a pitbull in the press briefings, but the stories he actually files are way tame.
trifecta @
49
Do you remember how Bill Casey, Ronald Reagan’s CIA director, conveniently died before he could be interrogated publicly as a witness during the Iran-Contra investigations?
You may be on to something.
Bob in HI
Redshift @ 113
It’s becoming clear that no Presidential aspirant wants Iraq in the Oval Inbox on January 21, 2009. Which means, I suppose, that W will widen his war to Iran.
Heather @ 116
The day Timmeh testifies will be tough for them, no?
Heather @ 116
Remember Andrea Mitchell, who said (I forget on what show, Press the Meat? or was it Imus?) “everybody knew Valerie Plame worked at the CIA” and then when people tried to pin her down she backtracked so fast her feet were spinning in circles. Whether she didn’t want to be part of the story, or just didn’t want her ass dragged in front of the GJ, she ran like a sissy.
How many Blackwater employees are there “in the field”? Does anyone know? Will they also be withdrawn I wonder?
Is that a Gorgeous Glass on your frontpage or are you just glad to see Judy?
I think I like David Gregory.
As I said earlier, I suspect that the truth between Fleischer and Dickerson and Gregory is somewhere in the middle. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Fleischer puffed up the importance of what he said in his own mind, and in fact, when you know the answer to a riddle it’s easy to believe you’re giving more obvious hints than you actually are.
And conversely, Dickerson, by his own account, got scooped by Cooper on this matter. That was partly because he was in Africa and not in easy contact for research, but partly because he didn’t think Fleischer had given him anything solid. Since he failed to figure it out and get the scoop, it wouldn’t surprise me if he downplayed in his own mind how obvious Fleischer’s clue was.
Memory’s a funny thing, even if it’s not funny enough to cause you to make up a story for a grand jury.
Did someone here last night say, Olbermann will have a ’special comment’ tonight? Anyone.
TeddySanFran @ 106
Nyet.
RE: George W. Bush’s favorite sock puppet Joe Lieberman, a few minutes ago I had the pleasure of returning to NARAL Pro-Choice America a fundraising letter they had sent me. The letter I returned to them (with no money)was heavily annotated with references to NARAL’s support of Rape Gurney Joe and to Joe’s misdeeds, including the Alito vote and the “Short Ride” comment.
Why doesn’t anyone ask David Gregory from NBC what he heard…the guy is getting away with murder, much like Russert.
TeddySanFran @ 114
oh, I’m sure that the lawyers are telling everyone at NBC to keep their mouths shut, but that’s not the issue.
If I was ABC, or CBS, or CNN (don’t ask me to pretend to be Fauxnews) I’d be all over the “what is NBC hiding” angle of the story (especially if I was CBS, after what NBC helped to do to Dan Rather and “CBS: the most trusted name in television news”….
Oklahoma kiddo @ 124
The less said at this point, the better. Is there any doubt that he was interviewed by Fitz? I’m going to guess that Fitz wouldn’t have put Ari up there if he didn’t think someone(s) would be able to verify his version of events.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 125
Oh yes indeed. Should be a good one, but then aren’t they all?
It will be interesting to see what Timmeh The Tool Time has to say.
He’s been sitting on something, even after being repeatedly called on it.
As Hillary drones on, the more PO’d I become.
Anatomy of Deceit just hit #400 on the sales list at Amazon.
Great work, Marcy.
If you haven’t bought it yet, please do so.
And if you have, please buy another copy for a friend…
I wonder if John Dickerson will try to sit next to Jane at the trial?
btw, I don’t buy the logic that either Dickerson or Ari lied. There’s a third possibility: Ari and other WH officials used two methods to uncover Plame: (1) they told reporters directly that Wilson’s wife at the CIA sent Wilson and (2) they directed reporters to go ask the CIA who sent Wison, knowing that this would likely lead good reporters to Wilson’s wife. It’s possible Ari used one method with some and another method with others, and doesn’t remember which, or why.
Bionic @ 19
Before 2004, maybe. Now there’s not enough time to save Junior’s reputation, and a VP resigning in the middle of a term while his name is being bandied about in federal courtrooms is only going to draw comparisons to Agnew (and guess who that makes Georgie?)
Oklahoma kiddo @ 126
Yes KO promised.
This could apply equally well to Gannon/Guckert.
Redshift @ 136
Agreed. All they want to do now is push forward their plan (Expand the Chaos Outward), which means bombing Iran and providing impediments to congress’ attempts to rein them in.
I believe there really is no plausible alternative for them. Those who “own” the war (Bush/Cheney/Lieberman) feel they will be redeemed by history – it’s what drives them.
If they give up on the plan, their status at “worst ever” is guaranteed. It’s sick, but they have no alternative. Their legacy demands it.
Didn’t Ari Fleischer’s brother have a role in the war in Iraq?
Feingold hearings are a good start to what the Dems need to do more of — precisely define the limits of the powers of the commander in chief (for example, the Iran border might be a good starting point, among other markers) and remind people that POTUS is not the boss of all of us. “But the president is not our commander in chief,” Garry Wills said in the NYT. “He certainly is not mine. I am not in the Army.” Role of the Commander in Chief in the Forever War: The Commander in Chief Scope Creep is an example of how many of the underlying assumptions governing American foreign policy are shared by most Americans and both political parties. That’s why opposition to Bush needs to be broadly based and needs to transcend the increasing militarization of American society. Otherwise Bush will continue to act as if he is commander in chief of each and every one of us. Positioning himself as commander in chief of a nation at war, he will surely drag us into a wider war that none of want — and which will be a disaster for America and the world.
Favorite recent bit from the liveblog:
Okay, I know he didn’t mean to say that Judy Miller had been involved in the distortion of intelligence for years, but it’s fun to read it that way.
TeddySanFran @ 137
It all became a blur – nothing but *sses and elbows.
TeddySanFran @ 138
Ya gotta love this place.
Has anyone else notice how KO has distanced himself from Timmeh?
MSNBC is letting KO and Tweety handle all the big speeches (Iraq policy, SOTU)….and once NBC goes back to regular programming, they bring in Brian Williams and Brokaw….Timmeh is nowhere to be found.
Everythingseemssoneat @ 140
Post-war, actually. He worked for the CPA as “head of private sector development.” Sounds like he was older but no less qualified than the other nepotistic ideologues they sent there.
Glenn Greenwald is one of the best people in the blogosphere to pay attention not just to what conservatives are saying but what they have said. Today he revisits what conservatives had to say about deployment of American troops abroad when they forced Clinton to withdraw from Somalia. Seems there is a slight discrepancy between what they were saying then and now. Of course, with regard to inconsistency in politics, IOKIYAR.
neurophius @
128
REVENGE: A dish best served COLD.
Nicely done, neurophius!
urban pirate @
73
thanks! will check it out. I ran across his name on YouTube the other night when we were giving props to G. Love and Special Sauce. G did a harmonica guest stint on a Donovan Frankenreiter song that I can’t find now. Here’s a three-fer with Jack Johnson and G. Love:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK0LWsEcSjM
(yeah, it’s that easy…)
We’re going to attack Iran soon.
The Bush administration is an anachronism. These guys view themselves as the ‘great white fathers’. They have found, and will continue to find, the ‘natives’ will resist. Trouble is, the great white father in Washington has an itchy nuclear trigger finger. But the natives will still fight.
Hugh @ 147
They don’t think the way we do. They probably never will. Nothing they say makes much sense because they believe unquestionably.
p.lukasiak @ 144
I think Timmeh’s had a role, but certainly more limited than before the Tweety-KO partnership was set up in the November election coverage. I can’t but think it’s deliberate on Dan Abrams’ part: KO appears to be the only person capable of shutting up the Tweetmeister for a moment.
Also, Mrs Greenspan and Noron appear to be much less prominent now than, say, last year.
Gannon/Guckert, the gay man-whore (if that’s incorrect, let me know), had access to White House briefings for at least a few cycles.
Can you imagine a similar figure in the Clinton WH?
Clinton, in an interview with John Stewart (last three years, no cite, but I bet someone has one) said, (paraphrasing) that “the chairman of the RNC said, ‘if we fight fair, we lose every time.’”
Maybe we should give up our remaining rights to the state for protection from Alan Qaeda.
Hugh @ 112
I have a lingering question about how much got messed up because people got these confused. Some people thot she just worked at a random job at the agency. Lots of people like that, and they dont bother to keep it secret anymore. But her overt job was the cover for her other work. I await the collected wisdom of Marcy and eRiposte on this matter.
However:
I still dont understand why novak published the name of her company in his second column. It was available in the public record because she made a donation to something? Lame.
I would have to conclude Rove and Bush are delighted with the Libby trial thus far.
wanted all of you to know how much i appreciated ‘lurking’ while i was without a keyboard for a while……friend just sent me one…..am mailing money to marcy et al……….am absolutely blown away by all of you and wanted you to know it……here is the FIRST letter i sent with new keyboard and was about all of you…….and future posts will be short…….thank you fdl……..
here’s the letter-
got my keyboard, thank you thank you thank you……………
want to tell you because no keyboard, found this through achenblog, from washington post (great thing one of the comments posters put the website up, smart bunch of people), digging around one day….since i could only use my mouse……calling it a blessing, cuz i found a treasure trove…..they posted a website following the scooter libby trial…live, blow by blow..cheney’s ex-chief of staff……fascinating………
http://www.firedoglake.com
is an amazing bunch………group of bloggers……..the ones who fought to be allowed in as ‘media’….ones that were in the news a while back…….one of them is a lawyer, one of them wrote a book about the wmd falsehoods..her name is marcy and she’s the one doing a ‘live time’ typing blog of the trial from the media room at the courthouse, they have other pals in the courtroom, all are WAY well-informed, one named christy is a lawyer with vast experience, read her bio……..is better than oj trial………..if you get time, go back and read cathie martin’s transcript, she was press person for cheney and now works for pres………ari fleisher,former white house press secretary was yesterday….blew the door off the barn…libby told ari stuff 4 days before he says he knew anything…….busted the case wide open……..has been evidence of how backstabbing the white house divisions are………rats running from a sinking ship….. ……..fascinating…….today was judith miller, the one from the nytimes who wrote all of that stuff planted from the white house that backed reasons for war……….lies, in other words………wow……….in the comments section, many of the people there are bloggers, too………if their name has an underline, they are linked to blogs………..many of them lawyers, scientists, etc………..wow………….can’t keep up with all of it………..what a bunch……….worth reading their stuff……….
thought i kept up on stuff, but boy these people put me to shame………imagine, A BUNCH OF smart people all adding their two cents here and there, but all staying on the same road………is wonderful thing they’re doing…….also mean the people chiming in on the comments section, what a bunch of brains……..all gathered on firedoglake.com
one of the best comments so far was this:
“QuentinCompson says:
January 29th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Sparkles the Iguana @
13
cathy @ 9
What does CPD stand for?
CPD – Counterproliferation Division (operatives)
vs. WINPAC (analysts)
Isn’t it just an amazing coincidence that the dart Cheeeney threw struck the head of the CIA’s Iraq WMD group? They had been a problem for him since they busted Halliburton for selling dual-use nuke technology to Iran in the 90s.
Lucky toss I guess. “
explains why the cia and theh white house couldn’t get on the same page during the plame/wilson thing…….internal arguing………
you know how i over-analyze everything, well, appears i’m not the only one who notices stuff……..this bunch is amazing brain-power goin’ on………….and amazing how trampled a copy of the constitution has become in the halls of the white house…….anything goes……..
and keys stick on this keyboard, but hey, i’m not complainin’ just have to type slower……..maybe that’s a good thing.
d
p.lukasiak @ 44
Oh, God, then Scooter is well and truly caught every which way, isn’t he?
No wonder his lawyers are pulling out all the stops, even when their tactics have a big chance of backfiring — as Wells’ crosses today seem to have done.
LMAO
And as long time readers know from your posts, you saw this coming. It reminded me of the dust bunny theory.
bellesouth @ 105
that’s a great post, I want to highlight this very important portion of the letter;
We will still count on you to ride to our rescue whenever the going gets tough.
who doesn’t see that for what it is?
I’m gonna say that Cheney stays. Cheney is the power behind the throne and Dubya’s puppetmaster. I appreciate the divisions between the OVP and Office of Decider, but Cheney is gonna hang on like a pit bull. Cheney is implicated (ahem!) in this Libby trial, but in a death match between Dubya and Cheney, I’m going with Dick. Dick knows all and Dubya don’t know sh*t from shinola. Cheney must be accommodated at all costs.
If I’m wrong, I’ll be the first to admit it ;)
It almost doesn’t matter if Cheney resigns; his cronys are placed throughout the national security apparatus of the executive branch, and he could direct/influence them from a bunker in Paraguay. There needs to be a total house cleaning, and Bush has to go simultaneously.
lf @
153
Jeesh, Matthews has beat up on Hillary Clinton for 3 days because of a throw-away joke.
-GSD
AP – Republican and Democratic senators warned Tuesday against a drift toward war with an emboldened Iran and suggested the Bush administration was missing a chance to engage its longtime adversary in potentially helpful talks over next-door Iraq.
punaise @ 149
… and it comes full circle. Love it!!!!!
By the way:
Jane, with everything you’ve been through lately — dang, can I say that I’m touched that you actually took the time to tell people that a Z-list podunk blogger in your blogroll has moved to a new URL? Thank you. I’m humbled.
Wow. Now I have to get my ass in gear and finish updating the new blogroll, dammit!
GSD @ 163
I’m sick and tired of this ‘Hillary joke’ piling on.
I posted this yesterday in the Ari pt. 3 thread.
My one day ahead precognition works again!
*xyz @ 134
fyi if you buy several copies at the same time fm amazon it counts as ONE order for the ranking.
Scarecrow @ 134
Could it be possible that Libby’s “hush hush and on the QT” was a hope that Ari would then leak?
Are we seeing an Administration “turning against itself?”
Olbermann in our living room soon.
oh, and in the interest of… interests, the thought that Gannon/Guckert is a gay man-whore is not the problem, just and irony; the problem is his lack of true press credentials (and/unless one were to count the corollary problem of poorly [–TRex, can I get a Whoop Whoop]–closeted homosexuality and its playing out in international policy in this admin…).
ABC’s Betsy Stark with the Prez in Peoria. . .Iraq is overshadowing all the swell things I’ve done. (paraphrase) “Commonsensical talk” on Iran. . .Help!
Oklahoma kiddo @ 171
I hope someone posts the youtube pronto
Redshift @ 142
It’s like Bush’s comment yesterday that he wanted to “elevate the distrust in Washington.”
BTW, my copy of “Anatomy of Deceit” just arrived from Amazon!
I thought that all would enjoy one of the paragraphs from the NYTIMES about Judy Miller……………………………………”Ms. Miller was cordial in her exchange with Mr. Fitzgerald, the man who had her put in jail for refusing to cooperate. “Excuse me, sir,” she said at one point, following a momentary misunderstanding.
Several experts in media law raised concerns today about Ms. Miller’s appearance as a witness in a criminal trial to testify about confidential interviews.”………..
GSD @ 163, Matthews has been beating up on Hillary for years. I don’t know what he is afraid of.
Awhile back I had emailed (with polite disagreement) Dickerson after one of his opeds that I thought was especially disengenuous (full of crap) & he actually answered me. He was defensive (whiney) & I just wrote him off after that.
I have been kind of surprised (I don’t know why) at how many “jounalists” who write for major outlets are really just thin-skinned juveniles. Maybe they should get out into the real world more.
OK, It is so damn bizarre. But it is just like the 90’s all over again.
Christ today Bush dons a pair goofy goggles and guns a tractor at the press corps and it is all yuks and ho-ho’s….but still there is the obsession with the Clinton’s and with applying strange psycholigical litmus tests.
-GSD
I’m pleased to say that Scarecrow’s upstairs.
He’s was supposed to ride in on a turning aspen. Whenever they need him to employ his special talent for lying and stonewalling.
Except Ari’s instinct for self-preservation is apparently stronger than his instinct for lying and stonewalling.
dmac @ 156
You who sit and lurk also serve! What a great letter – not just because it says great things about us, but because you sent it out in the first place. FDL seems to bring together all kinds of folks, with all kinds of skills and talents and backgrounds, and there’s always room for more.
Thanks for the $$ in the tip jar, too. Setting up the Plame House and keeping Marcy & Co. supplied at “beer thirty” every day that court is in session is a small price to pay for their services, but it must be paid for.
RBG @ 180
Actually, I was still here, but I’ll go check just in case.
oh boy… need to use the preview.
“just an irony”
and, the reference to TRex is not meant to refer to poorly-hidden homosexuality on HIS part (even tho’ I’m straight, a 60-foot anything (50-foot?) gets the blood moving), but rather Bush et al., ‘pon which the theropod and others continue to shine a light (the sort of which is furthered every day by those, whose intent is for better or worse, who allow us to get closer to parsing the true gay percentage…).
punaise — you there??
Check this comment, would like to know if you agree on the pronunciation bit.
litigatormom >
At this point in the proceedings I would NOT bet that is true.
Seems to me there is a lot of system gaming going on outside the courtroom, something this group of Thugs is very good at as we`ve been witness to since late 2000.
I`m withholding judgement, for now, since I think there is a bigger “game” in progress…
And Shotgun Dick ain`t goin anywhere anytime soon.
“No place is so strongly fortified that money could not capture it.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero
Phoenix Woman @ 158
Well, yeah. This case is really built on documents, not testimony — Fitz is introducing the documents within the context of the damning testimony of his witnesses, but he doesn’t really care if his witnesses’ credibility is impeached or not….what they say is out there, and its consistent with the documents, and that’s really all that matters.
pythonian hanging-on:
and by ‘parsing the true gay percnentage’, what I mean is embracing the ‘out’, and outing the ‘closeted-by-virtue-of-power-in-a-straight-hierarchical-sense’,
not some kind of Orwellian census.
Not even sure I’m done yet.
Except with the academic world.
HA.
punaise @
18
snort!!!
outdoing yourself…
Rayne @
185
Rayne, if you don’t mind someone else’s three cents… I thought that Libby telling Fl. gave both options, either plame like flame or plame’ like gold lame’. Suggesting something written down was his source, and interesting to be sure… If Miller’s French is really good, though, don’t you think she would fail to take Flame or Plame as French (bc it would need to be flamme’ or plamme’ to be a French word, I think).
daCascadian @ 187:
I didn’t mean to suggest that Ari is now being totally truthful. At the least, I am sure there is stuff he is holding back.
I just meant to say that he decided that in the case of U.S. v. Fucking Leakers in the OVP, he decided not to cast his lot with the Fucking Leakers in the OVP.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 126
Yes, he will. Woo hoo hoo!!!!
Oh, o.k., you know what I’m trying to say: Bush is gay
and, by virtue of the culture of this country,
(Poppy und Babs et al.) we get wwIII.
meeow times a quadrillion.
(It’s one theory, at least, among many.)
lf- That’s an interesting comment on our culture, I read somewhere that Bush’s parents sent him to anti-gay school.
Did the lipstick on a pig post by scarecrow get pulled, or did my browser gobble it up?
FYI -
Amazon.com Sales Rank: #387 in Books
Marcy’s book did some serious climbing today.
Peterr @
182
Well said Peterr. Great letter dmac.
John Dean on Countdown. Two more unsung heroes of our times.
“As to people who come here to perhaps escape poverty in their homeland, a good start might be for the U.S. and other wannabe colonists to stop supporting corporate sweat shops in say Mexico, quit ripping off natural resources, and cease supporting corrupt governments like those found in say Egypt and Mexico. And radically raise third world standards of living.”
Is that all? Remember, on the 7th day I rested.
a suckquoia
kristinejoy @ 11
A Schumerbox?
furball, what the hell ya doin ? thought I was the only one down here =)
FBI turns to broad new wiretap method
The FBI appears to have adopted an invasive Internet surveillance technique that collects far more data on innocent Americans than previously has been disclosed.
Instead of recording only what a particular suspect is doing, agents conducting investigations appear to be assembling the activities of thousands of Internet users at a time into massive databases, according to current and former officials. That database can subsequently be queried for names, e-mail addresses or keywords.
Such a technique is broader and potentially more intrusive than the FBI’s Carnivore surveillance system, later renamed DCS1000. It raises concerns similar to those stirred by widespread Internet monitoring that the National Security Agency is said to have done, according to documents that have surfaced in one federal lawsuit, and may stretch the bounds of what’s legally permissible.
http://news.com.com/FBI turns to broad new wiretap method/2100-7348_3-6154457.html?tag=alert
Last year, on Nov. 6/06…
i predicted Cheney would “be replaced sometime within the next year and a half”….
and that the “cover” will be “that he’s stepping down because of poor health…unless, of course… he actually dies.”
I ended with a guess that Condoleeza Rice would replace him.
BERLIN — German investigators have recommended that prosecutors issue arrest warrants against 13 U.S. intelligence operatives in connection with the kidnapping, beating and secret detention of a German citizen suspected of having links to terrorist networks.
The operatives were part of a CIA-sponsored team that transported alleged terrorists to interrogation camps around the world. Investigators say the group forced a handcuffed and blindfolded Khaled Masri, a German citizen of Lebanese descent, onto a Boeing 737 and flew him from Macedonia to Afghanistan in January 2004. Masri was not charged with a crime and was released after five months.
http://www.latimes.com/news/na…..-headlines
I completely agree. It’s inconsequential whether Ari did name Plame to Dickinson and Gregory on the Africa trip or didn’t. Wells did not use it to impeach Ari’s testimony. Fitz did not raise it on redirect. If Dickinson is right and Ari didn’t use Plame’s name when he leaked to Dickinson and Gregory nobody really cares, except Slate and http://www.DavidCorn.com.
p.lukasiak @ 38
Ari doesn’t need to lie for protection. He has immunity for the underlying crime. So if he is lying, he does so at the risk of losing his immunity. That’s a big risk. For what purpose wouldhe lie? 1) to save face, seem less creepy, save his reputation and professional viability in the private sector 2) to help out a former worker.
I can’t see him risking his immunity for either purpose. If he is lying, and it affects Fitz’s case, we probably won;t hear about until the dust settles.
I think it’s a non-issue either way.
trifecta @ 49
If Cheney “has the big one” in the next two years, I will not watch the state funeral on C SPAN. It’s way too soon to hear the incessant accolades about this great public servant who loved his country more than five deferments and bountiful oils reserves.
Frank Probst @ 91
Here’s my guess. She got her agreement to limit the scope of questions. She testified and Fitz sensed she was not completely forthcoming – the woman is an open book and a complete wreck when she’s nervous. I suspect she has a tells. Fitz’s and his collegues have good radar and bullshit detectors. Fitz thanked her and cautioned her that if she had not been completely forthcoming, and if his office learned about it from other sources, she we be subject to the full extent of the law. DING! Let me just review those nothebooks.
Actually, now that you mention it. When she found her notebook, it was a at least a few weeks if not months after she first testified. I remember that no one could figure out what prompted her discovery.
Sally @ 177
The Feminine.
Everythingseemssoneat @ 195
Andover, Yale or HBS ?
Gops always need to be told what to think.
Swopa @ 87
I’ll also add that I don’t get the vituperation being aimed at Dickerson.
Swopa, perhaps this explains it a bit?:
http://www.slate.com/id/2147117/
Why does anyone give any credence to Mickey Kaus? Has he gotten something right once when I wasn’t looking?